Governor Mike Dunleavy promoted Alaska’s entrepreneurs who are manufacturing and exporting medical, commercial, and industrial products from the state. He spoke from an industrial manufacturing shop in Palmer before a group of guests highlighting businesses in aerospace, aviation, agriculture, outdoor adventure, and medical-tech.
Dunleavy promoted the business owners who have had to overcome the perception that Alaska is too remote for manufacturing stating they are demonstrating the state’s presence as a manufacturing hub:
“Alaska, our motto, I always say this is north to the future. It’s a land of opportunity and a lot of us that are a little long in the tooth and grey in the hair came up here a long time ago for opportunity, but that doesn’t mean that Alaska’s best days are behind us. In fact, because of these folks, and folks like them all around us and here in the state of Alaska, our best days are ahead of us. I foresee us having a robust oil and gas industry, a robust fishing industry. I see us having a robust agriculture industry, a robust medical industry, a robust manufacturing industry. Most people don’t realize this, but Anchorage is 9 hours from every industrialized place in the world in the northern hemisphere. No other city in the United States has that geolocation for us to capitalize on what we do and what we make.”
The Made in Alaska program has more than 1,000 permit holders, but the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows closer to some 600 wage and salary employers in the state’s manufacturing industry. Historically, exporting certain products from Alaska has faced hurdles associated with shipping costs. Dunleavy says that the companies promoted demonstrate the path to breaking these export barriers by developing products that are uniquely innovative, lightweight and/or high in value.
Some of the companies promoted include AlertWet, TriJet, Triverus (where the conference was held), The Launch Company, Indemnis, VH Hydroponics, Airglas, Inc., and Airframes Alaska LLC.
The press conference can be viewed here.
